Morgan Davies

DESCRIPTION: Happiness. That’s my main thing. That’s all I can say. And then you make other people happy. Makes the world go around, doesn’t it?  Morgan is the beloved friend of many in Port Hedland. He loves making jokes and making other people happy. Born in New Zealand, he attempted his first move to Australia at the age of 17, when he stowed away on a boat to Australia, hiding on a lifeboat on board for nearly five days. Recognised as being underage, he was sent back home, where he remained for 30 years before returning to Australia.  

 He has lived in the Pilbara region for more than two decades and worked as a boilermaker at Finucane Island for 10 years. Life hasn’t always been easy for Morgan, and he has struggled through difficult times, but he has always been driven to bring happiness to himself and those around him. 

 I was born in New Zealand in 1937. A suburb out of Auckland called Remuera. I stowed away on a boat to Australia when I was 17 on a boat called Wangunela. I decided I was going to go up to the gang plank and there was a guy on guard up top. So I went further down. It was two o’clock in the morning and I grabbed hold of this bow rope and jumped out to grab it and climbed up the bow rope. And I got to the top and it looked like, I thought it was only about there far, but it was about here to that roof. And as I’m looking up, next thing I’m in the water in Auckland Harbour. I fell into the harbour. 

 And I got out, swam out. Then I got down, I managed and the night watchman wasn’t on the ship. He’d disappeared. Must’ve gone for a coffee or something. And it was two o’clock in the morning. I lost one of my shoes, so I had to throw the other one away. And I was wet through, couldn’t book into a hotel, and I just walked up the gangplank because the guy had gone. So I fell on the water for nothing and I went and jumped into a top lifeboat and ran up in Australia.  

 I was nearly four days in a lifeboat with no food, yeah. I was freezing cold though. I had to sit there with a wet jersey on to keep warm. It was August and it was pretty cold, but I never got a cold or nothing. [Once I got to Australia] Well, I had to go to, was in George Street in Sydney, I went to the Seamens mission because I had Kiwi money. I couldn’t change it. And I told them I’d stowed away on the boat. So I worked there for two weeks. So they gave me board there. I worked there, but I had to go back to New Zealand because I was underage.  

But then when I got back, I rang up my mother. I told her I didn’t want to come back and she [said] “Well, if you’d done rung us up and let us know, you could have stayed.” So I came back again and I was 17.  

 About 30, 40 years later. I went to Australia to get away. I went to Brisbane because I had a brother who had his own business in Brisbane. I was in Brisbane working with them. It was a good place. Good job, everything. And then this job come up in Mount Isa, so I went to Mount Isa.  

 I was over in Mount Isa, and this guy said there was a job in Karratha. I like it here [in Port Hedland]. I didn’t like Karratha. But the people of mine over here, people say hello to you. Yeah. Yeah. I’ve always found the community really friendly here. [I moved here because] there was a job up in the Burrup Peninsula. But it didn’t work out anyway. And I got a job with another company and I worked at Finucane Island for 10. I worked as a boiler maker..  

I’ve been here ever since. Yeah. I like it here, hey. People are good. Here, you walk down the street and you say hello to someone, they answer, talk back to you. Happiness is my main thing. That’s my favourite thing. Happiness. You got to be happy. Yeah, you do. And then you make other people happy. Makes the world go around, doesn’t it?  

 MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas

MEASUREMENTS: 44.5 cm (h) x 34.5 cm (w) x 3.5 cm (d)